So the mammoth reorganistion of our home is starting to gather some steam now as we slowly enter the exciting kitchen design phase. The generously proportioned room is nearly empty and ready for work to commence, which means we really need to finalise the layout and start investigating some of the finer details such as lighting.

Our future kitchen diner

The room itself is a long dark space, hidden mainly underground with a french doors at one end and one (yet to be reinstated) single pain window. As such, artificial lighting is gonna play an important part in rendering the room a pleasant place to inhabit. Despite the fact it’s a Victorian building, we’ve decided to follow our hearts and create a clean, crisp modernist kitchen with a strong 1930s influence. So where does one start with lighting?

My wife and I recently had the pleasure of a weekend away in the big smoke while the little one enjoyed some quality time with granny. Amongst the action packed itinerary was a meal in the jaw dropping surroundings of Brasserie Zedel, a French Restaurant in Piccadilly. Anyone with even a casual interest in Art Deco needs to put this on their bucket list. Wander through the quaint street level cafe to the stairs at the rear and you’re already picking out exciting details. Wallpaper, mirrors, posters all hint at whats to come. As you descend into the lower hall it becomes clear that this really is a subterranean inter-war wonderland.

‘Bar Americian’ is a sumptuous dimly lit lounge with an aviation theme. Thick ribbons of dark wood veneers are spliced with brass geometric banding that span the whole room. Illuminated column mounted glass discs and innovative bar lighting bathe the room in a warm glow that creates such an intoxicating environment its hard to tear yourself away. But leave we had to, as our table in the adjacent Brasserie was ready..

The restaurant is located in marble clad hall that’s a total contrast to the dreamy atmosphere of the bar. Originally part of the Regent Palace Hotel, it was opened in 1915 exhibiting the ‘opulence and scale of a transatlantic liner’. The ghost of this Edwardian extravagance is still clearly visible today , but in the early 1930s Oliver Percy Bernard was commissioned to redesign the interior of the hotel with a more contemporary feel. The brasserie retains many of these upgrades, giving a perfect blend eras. As I sat at our table drinking in both my surroundings and a splendid glass of Corbières, my eyes kept returning to one thing; the stunning ceiling lights. Huge slabs of opaque glass strapped together in a brass cage, all suspended on four rigid legs. Perfect for a kitchen renovation thought I!

Cursory searches for something in a similar vein didn’t prove all that fruitful. There doesn’t seem to be many ‘off the peg’ large Art Deco ceiling lights available in England.. wonder why?! One rather fetching option I unearthed named the Odeon Plafonnier looked ideal until I inquired about the price (I won’t say how much, but lets just say I burst out laughing on receiving the quote!). Some Chinese manufacturers list fittings that might be ok, but are likely to be of dubious quality. The best option so far is this one from the States.. problem is their mains power runs at 110V, less than half of that in the UK. I need to investigate further, but light fittings are fairly easy to rewire, and priced at about 5% of the Odeon it looks like a strong possibility.

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About Art Deco Magpie

Seasoned Art Deco collector and blogger Philip Butler, aka Art Deco Magpie, has spent many years transforming the interior of his family home into a 1930’s time warp. Furniture, wall coverings, fixtures, fittings and carpets, nothing has been neglected from his quest to obtain near film set perfection.
Combining a love of photography and passion for 20th century history, Philip is now working on his debut book; “Streamline Worcestershire – A Journey Through the Inter-War Modernist Architecture in the County“.
Philip lives in Great Malvern with his wife and two young daughters. When not immersing himself in all things Art Deco, he can be found tinkering with classic cars, working in the alcoholic drinks trade, practicing writing in the third person, and trying to be a good dad!

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